Capacity

With the passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), transportation system capacity became a major area of research through the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2). Under the Capacity area, a project is underway to develop a web-based tool that will provide more accurate data and collaborative decisionmaking in the development of new highway capacity in order to expedite the provision of that capacity while simultaneously addressing economic, community, and environmental objectives associated with new construction. The web-based tool, Transportation for Communities—Advancing Projects through Partnerships (TCAPP), provides agencies and practitioners with guidance on reaching collaborative decisions as they work through the traditional transportation planning, programming, and permitting processes. The SHRP 2 Capacity area research projects focus on the role of operations in meeting highway capacity needs and in the planning and programming decisions in the development of new highway capacity.

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, FHWA, and America Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials work together to implement the results of the SHRP 2 research.